Four weeks ago, I was saying my last goodbyes to the schools and friends in Israel, coupled with a quick whip-round tour of the south of the country and popping into Jordan. I had my last luscious Arabic coffee from Akko’s archaic bazaar, along with the best chocolate croissant I’ve ever tasted.
Now, I find myself in South-East Asia. While recently accustomed to an average of 20 degrees, the temperature here is sometimes approaching double that. But this is barely noticeable compared to the humidity, not even the shade can save you. Our air con is constantly working overtime. This mixed with a 7 hour time difference from London, sleep has certainly been a challenge. It was almost non-existent in the first week, one morning in particular acquiescing to the jet lag and started my day at 4am.
Our diets have changed drastically. Where we once ate thick and creamy humus; we now eat rice. Sometimes we’d have falafel in pita or a lamb shawarma with an agglomeration of herbs or spices; we now eat rice. Our day trips would see us treated to an open-buffet lunch consisting of a famous sea food restaurant on Akko sea front, or to a steak house in the Golan Heights offering the freshest meat you can find. Now; rice. Don’t get me wrong, you can get meat here. But it would be a brave betting man to guess at what you’re actually getting. The results can be interesting to say the least. My stomach and I are yet to come to an amicable agreement on this recent change in digestive methods.
Travel is certainly more entertaining here. Instead of a conventional car ride or walking to sessions, the main modes of transportation here is either a multi-cab or using the E-trike. The latter is a battery powered company contraption, that sees you roll around town in questionable style. The former is essentially a stretched out pick-up truck with a roof. They roll up on the side of the road every 30 seconds or so, which I think puts the London tube to shame. Are you reading Boris?! You hop on, crouch down and sit on the bench. The etiquette is you pay when you feel ready. Some pay on entry, others when they leave. Now Jamie and I have come to realise something; depending on where you sit, you could end up with a full-time job. The space in the back is pretty small, so change is passed to the driver via other passengers. This means that if you sit near the window, you usually end up as an impromptu cashier. I once ended up missing my stop as I was sorting out and returning change to a lady. By the end of the trip it’d be fairly accurate to say I’ve worked half a day on a multi cab in the Philippines. Definitely something interesting for the CV.
Adjusting the first few weeks has been difficult, but it feels easier with every day that passes. We are just settling in to the work that we are doing here, so the next blogs will add a little more clarity and information on those. This weekend finds me staying in, recovering from a mysterious flu caused by some bug bites, while Jamie is off gallivanting on tropical islands for some Filipino-esque fiesta cotillion. Fortunes will change I am sure.
Now, time for some more air con…